


Cat Caught the Canary

by x215zimer



Series: Toeing the Line [2]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angella is adopting Adora now, Angst, Blood, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I’m bad at summaries, Memory Loss, Mom!Angella, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Presumed Unrequited Love, Sparring, This IS Catradora after all, oblivious adora
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-09-28 05:52:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17177144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/x215zimer/pseuds/x215zimer
Summary: Adora knows she and Catra both said important things, but she can't remember what they were. When her unintentional confession to her biggest enemy comes back to bite her, can she ever reconcile with her best friend and the woman she loves?OrCan Catra stop being a Gay Disaster™ and succeed at manipulating her ex-best friend without showing how head over heels in love she is for her?





	1. Cornered Canary

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so it looks like I'm writing again, and continuing off of my first work. I gotta say, I was a lot more nervous about this one once I found out that people actually read these. I hope you fine people reading this enjoy this one too!

The first time Adora woke up, it was on the ground. She wasn’t holding her sword and was trying to stand back up. She had something to do, something important. There was a voice saying things, but before she could really focus on the words, she was coughing up her lunch. She thinks she feels hands holding her, pulling her hair back, but it’s over before she can really process it.

She remembers the voice saying something, talking to her, softly, then angrily. She knows the anger came from something she said, but for the life of her she can’t recall what it was. The voice drops low and would have been more menacing had she not been missing it for so long. Before she slips into blackness, the voice says something, so softly that she can hardly hear it, but the joy it fills her with brings her to tears.

The second time she wakes, Bow and Glimmer are calling for her. They’re nearby but haven’t seen her behind the outcropping. She tries to call back, to say, “Please keep it down. Your voices are too loud, and I am dying over here,” but it comes out more of a long and garbled groan. Glimmer and Bow appearing in a pink puff of sparkles, looking down at her in shock and concern is the last thing she sees before slipping away again.

The final time she wakes up is the one that sticks. She’s laying in a bed in Bright Moon castle, with the morning light hitting her face. Turning her head to the side lets her see Bow and Glimmer asleep next to her bed. Trying to sit up is a bad idea because the second she tries her head feels like it’s splitting open. She must have made some noise because Bow and Glimmer both wake up and are immediately at her bedside. 

“Are you feeling any better? We woke you up a few times already like the doctor said to and-“ “If we knew Catra would do that we wouldn’t have let you two go off alone-“ “-should have teleported and checked if you needed backup, this is all my fault and-“ “-head feel? Do you need a change in bandages? How about some water?”

Trying to parse through her friends overlapping speech is too much for her so she tries to stop them entirely. “You guys I’m fine. I got hit on the head before all the time during training. This is practically nothing! I’d usually be up and training hours ago!” Apparently, this is the wrong thing to say, as the two of them share a look and immediately double down on their efforts. 

“No way are we letting you out of bed today,” Bow says.  
“You are in no shape to be fighting, much less running around. If you need anything me and Bow can get it for you,” Glimmer finishes. Adore tries to protest this by standing up, but another jab of pain convinces her to lay down for now.

“I’m really sorry you guys. I know how important these fights are. With the Horde attacking everywhere almost daily, we need to keep our guard up and She-Ra needs to be there to help. But I keep letting myself get pulled away from where I’m needed by Catra.” 

Bow cuts Adora off before she can continue moping. “Don’t worry about it! The Rebellion can’t rely on She-Ra to be everywhere all the time. Besides, it’s not like you aren’t doing the same thing! By keeping Hordak’s second in command away from the battlefield, she can’t command the troops or plow through our forces like you do the Horde!”

Adora smiles at that. Her friends always knew what to say to cheer her up. Even the ones that aren’t there anymore. With that saddening thought, Adora grits herself for a long few days. The first is spent mostly sleeping, with hourly checks to wake her up and make sure she is okay. The next day starts with another exam from Bright Moons healers, testing her motor and brain functions. After passing, what follows is probably the most boring day of her life. Consigned to bed rest and with Bow and Glimmer occupied most of the day with their duties and work, Adora spends most of the day looking out at the Whispering Woods.

It had been months since the Horde froze it over, and it was still taking time to get it back on its feet. Or roots. Or whatever it had that let it move around like it used to. The first few months after the Battle of Bright Moon were the worst. Unable to afford another full-scale assault, the Horde was left with lightning fast raids on the castle, sometimes getting only one shot fired at the castle, and other times they had to be fought off in droves. As the woods began to recover, the raids happened less and less as it became harder to navigate through the woods, with the last raid being over two weeks ago. To compensate for not being able to take out the Rebellions headquarters, they had been staging raids across Etheria on anyone that seemed weak enough. She-Ra had to show up to as many as she could, as whenever she wasn’t there during the first raid, the second invasion force would triple in size. What was worse than the exhaustion of spreading herself too thin was knowing that this plan had to be devised by Catra, made to weaken and demoralize her whenever she couldn’t save a village in time.

The third day is the day Adora can’t take it anymore. Determined to do something, anything, she tells everyone she’s going to patrol the woods for Horde scouts and to show that She-Ra is back in business. Bow and Glimmer, being the loving and caring friends they are, immediately try to shoot her plan down because of health concerns. They have a short argument which is largely comprised of Adora transforming into She-Ra, then brutally bench-pressing anyone trying to stop her to show how healthy she is. After doing so to Bow, a guard, her healer, Glimmer (twice), and a close call with Queen Angella, they finally let her go on the compromise that she regularly took breaks.

Adora kept an eye out during her patrol but spent most of the time thinking back to the fight. What had happened after she hit her head? Why did Catra help her at all? From what Bow and Glimmer told her, Catra had left long before they found her. Since she didn’t have any new claw marks and still had her sword, something important enough to make Catra leave peacefully must have happened during their conversation. Adora’s train of thought was broken by a faint beeping further in the woods. Adora knew she should call for backup, but she wanted to prove she wasn’t being a burden to anyone, so she went in alone quietly. Following the sound of it, Adora crept carefully through the frosted underbrush, until she found the source: Catra.

Catra was standing there with her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently as a machine attached to a spike in the ground chirped at her. The thrill Adora felt from seeing her old friend was dampened when she was reminded of why she was here. “Ugh, this is taking forever. It would probably be easier just to ask someone how the forest is doing than wait for this dumb thing.” Knowing she had to do something, Adora almost transformed, but she didn’t want to have to fight Catra yet. Not without answers about why Catra let her go.

“Catra. What are you doing here?” Catra whirled around in surprise, having been focused on the probe rather than her surroundings. However she quickly slipped her face to her usual smirk, and her posture subtly shifted to a guarded stance. 

“Hey Adora,” she replied. “Just some sightseeing. Might want to bring over some friends to check out Bright Moon. Remember Kyle? He would love it here, the sap.” Adora knew Catra was goading her, but she wouldn’t let herself fall for it this time. 

“Why help me at all? Why did you let me go? What did I say that stopped you from turning me over to Hordak or killing me?”

At that, an unreadable emotion crossed Catra’s face, and her tail began to flick back and forth. “You… don’t remember? Anything?” 

Adora sighed. “Not much. I know you helped me after I hit my head, and that you were angry because of something I said. I know it must have been bad, because you were really upset, almost as much as during Bright Moon.” 

Catra looked on edge for a moment, before saying “That’s all you could remember? Not a lot to go from. You were talking about how bad you felt for not being good enough to stop Shadow Weaver, not that it matters now.” Catra shifts from guarded to combat ready. “I only helped you out because letting you choke to death wasn’t good enough for me. And speaking of Bright Moon, you were right. I should have more, but I guess some old sentiments”-the word was spat like a curse-“haven’t died yet. It would definitely make what’s going to happen next easier.” 

To anyone else, or even a less focused Adora, this would have been a cue to scan the trees for Horde soldiers before jumping into She-Ra to fight. But Adora had known Catra for years and could tell when she was trying to distract and run.

“You’re right. There is one more thing. Before you left, you said something to me.” At this Catra’s smirk dropped and her tail went ramrod straight in shock. Confident she was heading in the right direction, Adora continued. “I can’t remember what it was, but I know it meant a lot to me, and meant enough to you too for you to say it when you thought I was asleep. What did you say?” At this, Catra looked surprised and for a moment, disappointed? Whatever she was feeling was hidden again by her smirk, and she began to advance on Adora.

“Oh Adora. Sweet, dumb, Adora. You know, I had always wondered why you were so easy to rile up, to wrap around my finger.” Adora knew she was deflecting from her questions again, but this time there was a distinct note of malice in her voice. Stepping behind the blonde, Adora reached for the sword, missing the flicker of annoyance cross Catra’s face. “Of course, after our last fight, you felt _sooo bad_ about leaving me with Shadow Weaver, you let a little something slip.” 

Adora was growing tired of Catra’s games. “Enough Catra. Either tell me what happened, or I call the guards.” 

Behind her, Catra shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Suddenly, Catra’s hand was cupping Adora’s chin, her voice low and in a singsong tone. “A little birdy hit its head and told me you were in lo-ove.”

Adora couldn’t believe it. How could she tell her biggest secret to her worst enemy? How could she give Catra the perfect piece of information to use against her? She knew Catra couldn’t feel the same way, not after everything that she had done, not when Adora knew she wasn’t just rejecting joining the Rebellion but joining her. Among the shame and guilt running through her, another emotion filled Adora then that she had only felt once before: defeat. “What do you want Catra? Now that you know I love you, what are you going to do about it?” At this, had Adora been facing Catra she would have seen the thrill of joy run through her at the word love. “You know I can’t turn against the Rebellion, and now you know I can’t let you die. What do you want?”

Catra was quiet for a long moment. “Training,” she finally said. Adora must have shown how confused she was as Catra walked in front of her again. “In case you hadn’t noticed, short of Hordak himself, no one but you is a match for me. We both know that She-Ra easily outclasses the other princesses, and since neither of us have beaten the other yet, it’s safe to say we’re both the strongest on our sides. Our battles are too short and not often enough to get much stronger. If I’m ever going to get better, sparring with you is the way to do it.”

Adora let out a silent sigh of relief. Just training. It could be so much worse for everyone else. But it wasn’t enough for her yet. “That’s not going to cut it Catra.” Looking her in the eye, Adora continued. “I’m not going to make my enemy stronger just because I don’t want you telling everyone how much I love you.” At that Catra’s tail lifted slightly before she was able to force it down, but Adora continued on oblivious to Catra’s reaction. “I want you to stop the raids. Too many people are getting hurt from it for me to let it go on. Besides, if I’m too exhausted from playing into your hands we can’t actually train.” Catra’s unintentional preening at the praise did not go unnoticed by Adora.

Catra appeared to mull it over for a bit, before coming to a decision. “Fine. Our first training session is two weeks from now, right here, every three days. We’ll do the training exercises and sparring I want us to do, and you’ll only be She-Ra when I tell you to be. Got it?” 

Adora didn’t enjoy Catra holding all the cards but relented, if only to stop the raids. “Deal.”

Catra smirked and picked up the probe. “Make sure the woods don’t get me lost too. I would just hate to leave you without warning.” Ouch, low blow. As Catra left, Adora couldn’t help but stare at where she had left. She adjusted the sword on her back and began to double time it back to the castle. Bow and Glimmer would already be worrying, and she wasn’t looking forward to convincing them to let her have midnight training sessions alone, especially since they didn’t know Catra would be there. She sighed. The things she would do for love.

* * *

Catra walked into her, Scorpia, and Entrapta’s shared space, heading to her room. As always, Scorpia was awake anxiously waiting for her to return. “Are you okay? You look… different. Did you catch a canary or something?” 

Catra realized she had a small smile on her face and immediately replaced it with a scowl. “No. I don’t even know what that is. I’m going to bed.” Turning to her room, Catra tossed the probe to Emily, who scurried off to deliver the data to Entrapta. 

Shutting the door behind her, Catra flopped onto the bed. What was she thinking! How could blackmailing Adora go wrong so fast! It was definitely a sign of weakness that she couldn’t help but react every time Adora said she loved her, and she would definitely need to keep that in mind for future interactions. Plus, she had no idea how much of their conversation she remembered, or if she only agreed to try to pull Catra over to the Rebellion. Then there was explaining to Lord Hordak why she would need to leave every three nights to go out to the Whispering Woods. Thankfully, that would be much more difficult to explain than why the raids were no longer beneficial. Groaning at the thought, Catra pulled herself further onto the bed. Thinking of hanging out with Adora again was as warming as it was painful. Training, she chided herself. Just training. With Adora. Likely doing hand to hand combat. With occasional full body contact. Rolling over and into a ball, she pushed images of her ex-best friend out of her head and went to sleep.


	2. Practice Round

Adora woke up before sunrise. She had gone to sleep filled with nervous energy. It had been two weeks since her encounter with Catra in the Whispering Woods, and tonight would be their first training session since they were in the Horde. Thinking back on all the time they had spent together, it was clear to her now how she would fall in love, once she learned the word. Catra was always there for her, after every training session, during every meal, and every night when she would climb down into Catra’s bunk to spend the night with her. Maybe if she had stood against Shadow Weaver for Catra instead of trying to keep her happy, she would have been able to be there for her as much as Catra was for her. Maybe she wouldn’t feel so guilty about being in love with someone she had clearly hurt too much for them to ever love her back. 

Forcing herself to get up and to stop moping, she began her morning routine. By the time she finished her morning stretches and workout routine the sun had been up for an hour. Moving through the halls to the morning meeting, she met up with Bow and Glimmer outside the meeting hall. “Morning Adora! How’d you sleep!” Bow asked cheerily. 

“Mnaganah ashowyu slebpcuz imtootired,” Glimmer managed, clutching a cup of coffee in her hands. 

“Don’t mind her, she had a late night,” Bow said. 

As they entered, Queen Angella was already there waiting for them. “Ah, Glimmer, Bow, Adora. Glad you could make it this early. We have a lot to discuss,” she said. The meeting was uninteresting to Adora, except for two parts. The first was when Queen Angella approved her night missions to the Crystal Castle to try to unlock more of She-Ra’s powers. Adora felt a little guilty for lying about what she was really doing, but it wasn’t like she wouldn’t be training. “The next on our agenda is the Horde’s raids. There hasn’t been a single raid anywhere for the past two weeks. The Horde wouldn’t stop such an effective plan unless they had something better to take its place. Commander Glimmer, I’m trusting you to take Bow and scout a Horde base a week from Bright Moon to try to find out what they’re up to. You’ll be watching and listening to them to gather as much information from them as you can. NO combat,” she said sternly, more a plea than a command given her daughter. 

Glimmer teleported over to her mom to give her a hug. “Thank you so much mom I- Er, I mean. You won’t be displeased Queen Angella.”

With that, the meeting was dismissed and preparations for the expedition were made. “I’m really going to miss you guys,” Adora told them as they walked through the woods. 

“Don’t worry we’ll be back before you even know it,” Glimmer said. “Just focus on your magic sword training and the weeks will fly by like nothing!” Adora laughed, guiltily. She hadn’t told them the real reason she wanted to leave, and now that Catra held up her end of the deal she had to do the same. Waving at them from the tree line, she stood there until she couldn’t see them anymore. Sighing, she started the walk back to Bright Moon. She had to prepare for the night.

 

Catra started her day the same way she usually did: yelling at Entrapta to turn off whichever machine was making unholy amounts of noise this early in the morning. “Entrapta whatever you’re building better blow up a lot of things, or I _will_ revoke your Kyle privileges.” The failing recruit had been pulled out of the armed forces and reassigned as an assistant to Entrapta, keeping him away from any front line actions. He was surprisingly able to understand some of Entrapta’s science rants, and was considered invaluable to the scientist. The fact that Rogelio had approached her privately and requested his reassignment from the front lines had nothing to do with it. Nothing at all.

The whirring stopped. “Not my Kyle privileges!” Entrapta exclaimed in a concerned tone. The effect was dampened somewhat when Catra’s enhanced hearing picked up her whispering “Who’s Kyle?” and the equally soft yet dismayed response, “Uh, me? Your assistant for the past month?” Before Entrapta could loudly rediscover her assistant, Catra shoved open her door, silencing them both with a swift glare. 

“How about you two have this conversation elsewhere. Entrapta, don’t you have literally every lab in the Fright Zone available to you? Why do you keep working right outside my bedroom?” 

Entrapta paused her evacuation of her makeshift lab. “Well since you and Scorpia are friends, and I’m both of your friends, and Scorpia spends her free time with either you or me, I decided to save time on travel and group the three of us together.” Burying the weird fuzzy-sharp feelings thinking of friendship gave her, Catra threw her and Kyle out of the room. She still had meetings with the Force Captains to go over what they would do now, now that they weren’t running across Etheria attacking anything vaguely undefended. Then there was the matter of her training with Adora. She had managed to convince Hordak it was to spy on She-Ra and Bright Moon for any changes in their military power before the Whispering Woods closed up for good. The half-lie had to have enough truth in it so if Hordak found out he wouldn’t kill her on the spot. And Hordak always found out the truth.

The meetings flew by and before she knew it nightfall was approaching. Saying a casual bye to Scorpia and Entrapta, the latter waving with her hair as she worked as the former crushed her in one of her usual bear hugs. “Stay safe out there. She-Ra will be combat ready the entire time. Make sure to pack water so you don’t get dehydrated,” Scorpia said. 

“Yeah yeah what are you a doctor or something? I’ll be fine,” Catra replied, pushing the taller woman away. Walking to the hangar, she boarded the skiff prepared for her ‘mission’ and set off towards the woods.

Moving through the woods brought back memories of the first time she and Adora had entered. Thinking back to what could have been, and what she might have done had she known what would happen began to weigh on her. Catra pushed away these thoughts with a burst of anger, having long since found it easier to feel than the sadness and loneliness she felt when thinking about Adora leaving her. Parking the skiff a safe distance from their meeting place, she began searching the area for signs of it being a trap. Adora never was the type to be deceitful, but there was always time for firsts. Finding none, she moved through the branches, looking for Adora. She’s there leaning against a tree, looking into the woods for any sign of Catra, with the sword strapped to her back. Silently creeping down the tree, Catra didn’t even breathe. Then, in a swift motion, she pulled the sword off of Adora’s back and used her weight to topple Adora onto her back, sword point pressed to her throat.

 

“You really think I would just set up a secret meeting with you alone and have it not be a trap?” Catra asks, scoffing in disdain. 

Adora stared at her bewildered, before panicking at being caught off guard and for trusting Catra. Trying to stammer through excuses and accusations, Adora scrambles to think of a response. “Uh well you said you wouldn’t so I- um I mean how could you do this? Well, other than uh, being my enemy and all but still uh-” Adora is cut off by laughter, but not the menacing and scary type she had recently grown used to. It brings her back to before she left and messed everything up. 

“Oh man, I really had you there huh. You actually thought I would go through all that effort to get you here, only to take you out, huh.” Lifting the sword from her throat Catra lets Adora stand up before giving the sword back. Growing serious, Catra starts speaking again.

“Alright so here’s how this is happening. We’re going to go through the standard Horde warm up, then go through how much you still know. Not what She-Ra knows. You.” They begin, keeping silent to focus on their exercises, each stealing glances at the other. Adora finished a few seconds before Catra, irritating Catra at her own inefficiency. “I couldn’t smuggle out training staffs, so we’ll have to do hand to hand combat,” said Catra. “Besides without your sword you can hit hard, but that doesn’t matter if you end up hitting nothing.”

“That’s hardly fair. You’ve got claws and I can’t explain why I’m covered in claw marks these nights when I’m supposed to be training alone,” Adora said.

“Uugh fine. But only when you’re not She-Ra. No claws, just fists.” Making a show of retracting her claws, Catra continued. “Are you done or are we doing this tonight?”

Both women shifted into combat stances, and began to circle each other, looking for an opening. With a cry, Adora lunged forward, seeking to deal the first blow. Catra deftly flipped over her, kicking her in the back when she landed. Stumbling slightly, Adora heard Catra taunt, “Is that the best you can do? Do you let _She-Ra_ do all the work for you?”

Spinning around, Adora took note of her own stance. It had been months since she had done any hand to hand training, and it showed. She partially shifted away from the swordsman stance she had been holding and moved back into the fight, forcefully reminded of her opponents’ greater agility. They continued in this manner for a few minutes, each of them landing blows on the other before Catra finished it with a sweep of her leg, knocking Adora to the ground.

“Alright that’s enough for now. You need to stop fighting like you’re holding a sword. It’s throwing you off.” The advice comes at a surprise to Adora, and it shows on her face because Catra continues. “What? I want to get better, not spend all night kicking you around, no matter how fun that is.”

Still on the ground, the barb stings a bit. “You’re right,” Adora replied simply, surprising Catra. “I’m slower than She-Ra, and I need to practice moving around more. Your technique is really good. No wonder you were able to beat Sh-” cutting herself off before she can bring up Shadow Weaver and kill their casual mood, she fumbles for her words. Remembering their last conversation, Adora tries complimenting Catra’s skill again. She seems to like that. “That you were… able to beat She-Ra so easily all those times! You must have passed me in skill ages ago!”

The compliment has it’s intended effect, and Catra flushed slightly. Her reaction was completely misunderstood by Adora. After all she had complimented Mermista, and she reacted the same way. Maybe blushing at her compliments was just a thing people did. She would have to ask Glimmer when she got back.

“Of course I did. You just never noticed because you were too busy hanging out with your new friends.” In a move that surprised both of them, Catra reached out and helped pull Adora up to her feet. “Alright, time to fight for real now. Turn into She-Ra, but don’t use the sword.” One bright transformation later, they began to circle each other again. Taking the initiative this time, Catra leaped over She-Ra and kicked at the back of her knee. Moving faster than she normally could have, Adora rolled forward and swung her arm in an arc to push Catra back, before the two moved forward again.

They fell into their usual routine, She-Ra versus Catra, both trying to gain the upper hand on the other. Except this time, there was no Horde invasion threatening innocent lives, and no Hordak expecting a victory. Whenever there was an opening Adora took it but held back just enough to only bruise and not break. Whenever Catra moved in close enough to swipe at She-Ra, she kept her claws mostly retracted and didn’t use the force she used to claw through steel. After a few rounds of stalemates, the began again, both driven to best the other. This time, Adora managed to win, slamming Catra into a tree with her shoulder. Catra let out a sharp cry of pain and Adora immediately transforms back, concerned.

“Are you okay? I didn’t mean to hit you that hard. Is anything broken?”

Adora’s concern infuriated and comforted Catra. What right did she have to care for her enemy? After leaving her behind, treating her as an afterthought. But she would be lying if she said she didn’t miss her old friends care. She looked up from her quick self checkup to deliver a scathing remark but was surprised at how close Adora’s face was to her own. Adora noticed a moment later, her face reddening, but didn’t pull back as she was still concerned.

“I’m fine, go away. I’m not some fragile animal you need to worry about. You don’t get to act all concerned over me, not after everything that’s happened. We’re still enemies you know,” Catra said, her voice strangely lacking the venom it usually carried. Adora stepped back anyway, embarrassed at her actions. Standing up, Catra gave a glance at Adora. Seeing the other woman disheveled and out of breath and still looking at her with care made her feel strange, so she decided to end the night. “Alright, I think that’s enough for today. We’ll meet up again later.”

Adora watched Catra turned and begin to walk away and called out to her. “Catra…” she said, both not sure what to say and wanting to say everything. Catra stopped, waiting to hear what she would say, ready to lash out against her for apologizing out of guilt again. “Nothing,” she finished lamely. “Just watch yourself out there.”

Catra hummed in response and continued walking away. It wasn’t a snarky comment or scathing remark, so maybe it was progress? Probably not. But she wouldn’t give up on her that easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so I have a general idea of where this is going and how it ends, and I am really enjoying writing this. The fact that you guys read this and enjoy it too blows me away.


	3. What Are You Worth?

Adora woke up late in the morning, sore in places she forgot could get sore since her time in the Horde. Catra really wasn’t kidding when she said training. Without her being She-Ra she lost nearly every fight with Catra, and even with the transformation the ones she won were hard earned. How was she supposed to beat the Horde if Catra alone was too tough?

Her thoughts are interrupted by her stomach growling loudly, letting her know she needed to eat. Making her way to the dining hall before the cleaning staff could remove breakfast, she saw Angella leaving the hall. Spotting her as well, Angella walked over to her.

“Good morning Adora. How was your second night of training? Was it more successful than the first?” Angella asked.

Adora wasn’t eager to answer. After all, she had lost pretty easily again and was very out of practice as herself.

“It was… enlightening Queen Angella,” she replied neutrally. “However, one thing it lacks is agility training. Do you know where I could practice my speed?”

Looking a little disappointed, Angella began to leave. “Unfortunately I do not. I doubt any of the Rebellion’s training would be good enough for She-Ra. I hope you are able to use what you learned and apply it to tomorrow’s mission and are able to find proper speed training. If you manage to unlock any of She-Ra’s powers, please let me know immediately.” She said as she left.

Letting out a guilty laugh, Adora continued into the dining hall, thinking about their training. How had Catra gotten so good in such a short amount of time? Did Hordak’s second in command get special privileges for training? A thought struck her, stopping her before she could start eating. What if Catra hadn’t taken on a special training system? She had said there wasn’t any real challenge in the Horde. That meant that Catra had been this strong for a long time, probably before Adora was promoted to Force Captain. She knew she had complimented Catra on her skill some nights before but the realization of how true it was just now sinking in. No wonder Catra was angry with her so much. Always being passed over for recognition and promotion, and now that she had it, no wonder she felt insulted whenever Adora tried to help her. She wanted to prove herself.

Quickly finishing her breakfast, Adora ran through a mental list of things she could try to get faster and didn’t like the conclusion she came to. There was only one place she could be sure she would learn how to get better: The Crystal Castle. She couldn’t go now as she had other duties to run as She-Ra around Bright Moon, but she could get Swift Wind to take her over at night.

Pushing herself through her duties as fast as she could, by sunset she was able to meet up with Swift Wind. The horse was the only one she had confided in the truth behind her training, as he was able to tell she was nowhere near the Crystal Castle. Saluting with his wing as she came over, he said “Where to herd leader?”

“The Crystal Castle,” Adora replied.

She climbed onto his back and they took off. Snickering as well as a horse could he said, “Firsts for everything huh. How can I be sure you aren’t using me to meet up with your girlfriend?”

Now embarrassed, Adora said “She’s not my girlfriend!”

“Fine, fine! Platonic friend that you _totally_ aren’t in love with, that you _don’t_ go out on nighttime fighting dates with, that you _don’t_ spend entire battles making moon eyes at, and that you _didn’t_ share a bed with for years, without developing _any_ attachment,” he said, rolling his eyes.

Now thoroughly blushing, Adora decided she wouldn’t win this fight and remained silent for the rest of the ride. He was being just as sarcastic as when she admitted to him she loved her.

_Ooooh reeeeaallly?_ he’d said. _You? In love with the girl who dipped you_ that _low at Princess Prom? Never would have guessed it._ Who told him that? Who was gossiping with a talking unicorn with rainbow wings?

Hopping off of him, she quickly ran into the Crystal Castle to avoid any more of his sass or unimpressed looks.

Wandering the halls of the Crystal Castle again brought back memories of the first time she was here and was with Catra. She was saddened that this place had brought her and Catra such pain, but it was better that those memories brought the flaws in their friendship out. Now she could start working to fixing them and making it up to Catra, who she hoped would someday be willing to do the same.

As she made her way through the tunnels, she tried to avoid anything looking like where Light Hope could show up. She did not want to go the ‘abandon everyone you love’ conversation again.

What could have been hours passed as she walked through the halls. Nothing was on or activated. Not even the creepy spider bots were around. At least those would have been some kind of training. As she walks into a circular room a voice calls out to her.

“Welcome back She-Ra. Have you come to begin your training?”

Letting out a startled yell, Adora almost draws her sword, but stops when it’s only Light Hope, her holographic form fizzing a bit before stabilizing more solidly.

“I’m here for training, but I’m not staying for good. I just want to train for a bit, and then I’ll come back later to do some more,” Adora says authoritatively, trying to persuade Light Hope. Maybe she wouldn’t try to imprison her now?

Light Hope stares at her for a second, before raising a hand and images appear before her. Unlike the last time, all of these are of Catra. The first is them at Salineas, Adora trying to repair the Sea Gate, kneeling with Catra’s claws at her throat. The second is of her standing over her, tossing the sword off of the cliff she was dangling from, a malicious smile on her face. The final one is the most painful. It’s Catra, dragging her claws down her back, leaving wounds that would scar and carry over even when she transformed back.

“You are allowing your attachments to control you,” Light Hope says. “I have been watching your interactions with her, and she threatens your ability to bring balance to Etheria.”

“Wait how do you know about that? Have you been watching me the entire time?” Adora says, uncomfortable that her deepest secret is known by yet another person.

“Yes. It is vital that I follow your development and ensure you are fully trained and are not compromised by dangerous attachments. I am willing to allow you to train on the condition you remain here for the years it will take. If you do not do so, then you risk being further compromised by your attachments. Shall I remind you of Mara’s failure to do so?” she said, bringing up a still of Mara. It was the same image from the first time Light Hope had told her about her. Didn’t she have any new information to show about her?

“No I’m good, thank you, really. Just let me do a bit now and we can work our way up to it. No need to stay in one spot for the entire training session,” Adora said, trying to reason with her.

Light Hope frowned. “You must remove all attachments before you can begin your training. Your attachment to Catra is the most dangerous, and she may seek to kill you, ending the She-Ra line. You must remove this attachment first and foremost by any means possible, including lethal force.”

“Wait, wait, wait. You want me. To _kill_ Catra?” Adora asked, disbelieving that anyone could ask such a thing of her.

“If necessary. She is preventing you from fully reaching your potential as She-Ra, therefore preventing you from restoring balance to Etheria. Catra is susceptible to her emotions and has proven unstable at times. She has already attempted to destroy you once and is likely to try to do so again.”

Adora took a step back in disbelief. “She’s not going to kill me! And I’m not going to kill her!”

Light Hope stood there unblinking. After a long moment of silence, her form fizzled, and she spoke. “Very well. I am unable to defend you beyond the Crystal Castle, so take precautions when dealing with her, one way or another. If you fall, the She-Ra lie will be broken, and Etheria will fall out of balance forever. Your ability to restore balance requires training, and I will wait for you to come willingly. I hope this experience will show you the flaws in your logic, and the error in your actions against my instructions.”

Without fanfare she vanished, leaving Adora alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Catra crouched atop the pillar. She had to make it quick, or it would escape again. Padding silently across the top, she watched her target’s movements, then leapt towards it. With a decisive strike, she slashed her claws through the final robot, destroying its core. Stepping aside she let the bot topple over then explode, as they always did.

_Man, this is incredibly boring. I’m glad I skipped training all those times_ she thought, walking out of the simulator. Ever since she started with Adora again, every time she tried to train with the robots or cadets it was more boring than usual. She didn’t even break a sweat this time. Thankfully, tonight would be their third training session, and Catra was glad to get another chance to kick Adora’s butt again. Maybe she would start getting better too and pose a challenge when she wasn’t She-Ra.

As she walked to her room, a messenger ran up to her. He saluted to her and said “Lord Hordak sent me to summon you to his throne room immediately, Commander.”

Catra enjoyed the title. It was so much nicer than Force Captain, whose bearers she got to boss around all the time now. Walking to Hordak’s room, she wondered what he was summoning her about. Hopefully he hadn’t found out about what she was really doing in the Whispering Woods. Then this would be less of a summons and more of an execution. Grimly, Catra walked into the throne room where Hordak was standing, looking at a holographic map of Etheria.

“Now that you have arrived we may begin discussion of what to do with our forces, now that they are not running your raiding plan anymore. Do you have any suggestions?” Hordak said without preamble. Moving into her role as adviser she began laying out her plan to him.

“Since the Rebellion had to maintain a constant vigilance from Horde attacks for months, they will surely be expecting something big to happen. By leaking information of a large scale invasion on one kingdom and by running dummy soldiers and supplies to back the information up, we can prepare for a real invasion on another target. Plumeria is less defended and could suffice as the real target, but with the Kingdom of Snows solidifying its allegiance to the Rebellion it would do good to dissuade other kingdoms from giving up their neutrality to join the Rebellion.”

They continued planning for an hour before Hordak dismissed her to meet with his Force Captains. Before she left, Catra paused. Hordak noticed this and immediately asked, “Is there a reason you are wasting my time Commander?”

Outwardly showing no hesitation, Catra asked “Not to doubt your tactics Lord Hordak, but why have you not ordered me to kill She-Ra? She is clearly the biggest threat to the Horde and is the linchpin of the Rebellion. I’ve had several opportunities to do so, but you haven’t ordered it. May I know why?”

Hordak was silent, and for a long moment Catra feared she would be punished for intruding on Hordak’s plans or for impudence. She didn’t want to kill Adora but wasn’t sure what she would do if Hordak ordered her to do so. Her indecision scared her, because no matter what she chose, she would lose everything.

Finally speaking, Hordak said, “You may know. I have long term plans which require She-Ra to be alive if they are to come to fruition. She is indispensable to them.”

Indispensable. That was a word Hordak never used for anyone but himself. What was so special about Adora? First Shadow Weaver being obsessed with her and throwing Catra away like she was garbage the second she thought she had Adora in her clutches again and now Hordak too? Was she ever going to escape Adora’s shadow?

“Unless you have further questions, you are dismissed Commander.”

Silently fuming, she bowed and left. It all went back to Adora didn’t it? She knew from childhood that the Horde had no use for failures, and that even if you succeeded now you could always be replaced by someone better than you. And once again, Adora seemed to be exempt from that rule. If she had stayed with the Horde, what would Catra be now? Nothing. No, less than nothing. Shadow Weaver would have made sure of that.

As she paced through the halls, her anger and resentment of Adora grew. Feelings of insecurity she thought she had long since buried were rising again. The word kept coming back to her. Indispensable. No matter how hard she worked or what victory she brought to the Horde, the day she failed was the day she was swapped out, like a bent cog in a machine. It didn’t matter that Adora was a traitor, because she was valued by both sides if either wanted to win. 

As she moved to the hangar bay to get her speeder, she knew she was letting her emotions get the best of her, that they would take her over again and she would do something rash and regrettable like she did in the Crystal Castle. But she didn’t care anymore, because once again she was easily reminded of her position in this world, something Shadow Weaver had spent years ingraining into her. That she was to be nothing compared to Adora. Driving silently, Catra let her resentment slowly consume her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically, this and the next chapter weren't supposed to exist. Then I realized I completely missed a step in their development, and had to write a lot to make up for it. Hope you all enjoy this as much as I did writing!


	4. Who Is Worthy Of You?

Catra seemed eager to spar tonight. She had been there waiting for Adora and hadn’t even said hello before beginning the warm up. As Adora pushed herself to finish, she saw Catra stand up and start to tap her foot impatiently. As soon as she finished, Catra spoke for the first time that night.

“Alright let’s do this. No sword, no claws, no transformation. Just Catra and just Adora,” she said. Her strange way of saying that confused Adora, but she didn’t have time to think about it because at that moment Catra lunged forward. Moving fast, Adora moved to the side of her punch, but couldn’t avoid the knee to the ribs Catra dealt swiftly afterwards. She seemed to be pouring all of her fury into her moves, fighting with aggression she rarely showed even on the battlefield. Adora was quickly knocked down and pinned by Catra. Normally their close positioning would have made Adora’s stomach flutter, but this time there was something in Catra’s eyes that filled her with fear. Unbidden, Light Hope’s words came back to her.

_“Catra has proven susceptible to emotion and has proven unstable. She has already attempted to destroy you once and is likely to try to do so again.”_

As soon as Catra stood back up she barked at Adora. “Get up. We’re going again.”

Adora knew Catra must be feeling hurt and angry again but was determined to prove Light Hope wrong. The Catra that cared for her was in there, deep under the trauma and pain Shadow Weaver had buried her in, both physical and verbal. She knew the two of them had a long way to go to reconcile the hurt they had caused the other, but she also had to save the world so she wasn’t scared of the challenge.

Each time she got knocked down, Catra seemed to get angrier, but each time she managed to pin Catra, she seemed to nearly go berserk, hissing and growling as she fought until she won, giving a bitter grin as Adora pulled herself up. Somewhere along the way Catra’s claws slowly began to extend, lightly scratching at first, then digging deeper as the fights continued. But Adora was still certain Catra wouldn’t kill her.

 

Catra was lost in her anger. Each time she beat Adora, she became angry at her for being held in so high regard when she wasn’t all that good. But each time she beat Catra, all Catra could feel was anger at herself, for failing, for being second best now and forever without Adora even trying to be better, for proving Shadow Weaver right. Things just fell in her favor in a way it seemed Catra could never match with all her hard work.

As they fought, Adora seemed to move slower and her hits became weaker until she stood there panting for breath.

“What are you doing! Get over here and fight me!” Catra yelled from her starting position. Adora almost seemed to not have heard her as she just stood there watching Catra, before carefully moving forward. Catra was zeroed in on her movements, calculating the best place to strike when she smelled it. Blood. Blinking in shock, she took a closer look at Adora. Cold remorse extinguished her rage as she looked at what she had done

Scratches in her arms and legs that she hadn’t noticed were suddenly visible, some bleeding more than others. Her jacket was ripped in several places, each darkened by the blood leaking from the wounds she had left. Catra could tell that even from where she was standing Adora would need medical attention, and soon.

“Holy crap why didn’t you tell me you were bleeding! And why didn’t you say anything! I said no claws, remember?” Catra rushed forward and began guiding Adora over to sit under a nearby tree. She didn’t notice her own exhaustion until she stood back up and felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. How long had she been fighting? She knew she had higher stamina than Adora and if she was this tired it was a miracle Adora was still standing.

Her panic was broken by a giggle, then another. She looked down at Adora, who was sitting there with a big sappy smile on her face. 

“Hahah. I told her. I told Light Hope you wouldn’t kill me, that you still cared. Who’s wrong now you manipulative machine! I know you can hear me too! Take that!” she said, pointing at nothing in particular.

“What? What are you talking about who’s Light Hope? Killing you? How many fingers am I holding up?” Catra asked, now very worried for Adora’s health, guilt running through her.

“Mmm, three. The cuts aren’t that bad, you didn’t use your full claw. I’m just tired from the fighting. Might need some bandages though, and some of the blood juice from the healers,” Adora said tiredly.

Catra let out a small sigh of relief. She had indeed been holding three fingers up, so Adora’s wounds weren’t that serious.

“You are in no position to be walking through the woods alone and without help, and I am not going to walk you to the front gates where we’ll both get busted and I’d probably get arrested. Tell me where the medical room is,” Catra said.

Adora looked at her in surprise and confusion. She hadn’t expected Catra to be willing to go to such lengths for her. She was just glad her friend and the person she loved wasn’t willing to kill her.

Speaking slowly and clearly, Adora walked her through how to get through Bright Moon’s castle and where the medical room was, and the blood loss treatment looked like. Nodding, Catra took off in a brisk run towards the castle. As Adora settled next to the tree to wait for her to return, she was filled with a soft, warm feeling. On some level, romantic or platonic, Catra cared about her. Smiling to herself, she sat and waited.

* * *

Queen Angella looked at the portrait of Micah, unchanging as the day she had it commissioned in his memory. She found herself looking at it more and more when the war became tough, renewing her determination to see that no more loved ones would be lost to the Horde. Extinguishing the glow in her hands, she walked back to her room. As she neared Glimmers room, she heard a scratching noise from inside. Moving closer to the wall, Angella knew Adora couldn’t have returned from training yet and prepared for the worst. As the door opened, she moved behind it, using its excessive size to fully conceal herself.

As she saw the figure step through the door, she felt herself stiffen with anger. It was a familiar figure, one she had memorized at the Battle of Bright Moon, the one that had kidnapped her daughter and held her for ransom. As Hordak’s second in command hastily checked the hall from behind the door, Angella raised her hand to deal a swift and sudden blow to them. But as the figure turned to check the direction Angella was in, she paused. Hidden by the door, Angella remained silent as the commander moved down the hall away from her, closing the door behind her without looking back and seeing her.

Angella had expected the watchful eyes of a spy, or even the cold determination of an assassin from her. What she had not expected to see on the face of this intruder, her worst enemy second to Hordak himself, was the look of a cornered animal, hurt and seeking safety. She had not expected the same look on her enemies’ face as the one she had seen in her reflection the day she received the news of Glimmers’ abduction: hurt, guilt, fear, and shame.

Curious as to what she was doing in her home with such an expression, she followed the silent invader through the halls, far back enough to not be seen. She knew she was far from silent, but the commander -Catra, was it?- must have been distracted, as not once did she check for guards, other than the occasional twitch of her ears. As Catra moved through the halls, she pressed an ear against one of the doors before opening it and slipping into the room. Checking it, she saw it was the hospital’s door. Angella moved closer to it and listened curiously through the cracked open door. She seemed to be quietly talking to herself.

“-unbelievably stupid. How could she just stand there and let me claw her like that. We’re enemies, doesn’t she know that you’re not supposed to let that happen? No wait, she loves me, she said so herself. Stupid Adora. Why do you have to be so damn kind all the time? After everything that’s happened? That I have done? How could you still love me? How could she trust me like that? I wish I didn’t love you back. Then I wouldn’t be in this damn glowy castle looking for a random blue bottle.”

Angella was quite surprised by the information she was hearing. She would have to ask Adora about this when she returned from what was very much not training in the Crystal Castle. Catra fell silent, and after the clinking and rustling stopped, Angella was wondering if Catra had left through the hospital’s window when she heard a quiet sob.

“I’m so sorry. I never should have done this to you. It’s my fault you’re always getting hurt and you’re just trying to save everyone you can.” A sniffle. Then even quieter, “I wish you would stop trying to save me.” Angella hears the scratching sound again as Catra slowly descended the Castle walls, before the silence of the night returns. She doesn’t know how long she stands there in the dark, processing what she heard, before one of her guards walks past and tentatively asks if everything is alright.

“Yes everything is fine. Please continue. I was just reminded of myself and Micah. Losing a loved one to the Horde is a pain no one should go through,” she said, wiping am errant tear away. Even if that person was not dead, Angella thought. She really would need to speak to Adora about this.

* * *

Adora had finished examining all of her wounds when she heard Catra coming back through the woods. She was right in her original assessment. The wounds were numerous but shallow, so she wasn’t in danger of the effects of blood loss yet. As Catra approached, Adora appreciated the concern shining on Catra’s face. It had been so long since she had seen it and wanted to bask in it for as long as she could.

“Are you okay? You’re looking a bit… loopy,” Catra asked. Setting down the bandages, she handed Adora one of the small blue bottles. After examining it, Adora drank it. She already began feeling better afterwards, so she drank another.

“Alright, take off your shirt and jacket. I’m going to start with the ones on your arms while you do the ones on your legs,” Catra said.

“My, aren’t you forward all of a sudden,” Adora teased. She was facing away from Catra and had missed the blush reddening the other girls’ cheeks.

“Just shut up and take your clothes off,” Catra grumbled, before realizing what she said. Adora’s laughter nearly drowned out her spluttering corrections, and Catra lightly smacked Adora on the head. The serious mood between them had dissipated, and a comfortable silence replaced it.

Adora shrugged off the jacket and shirt and accepted the roll of bandages and began wrapping them around the scratches on her legs. As both girls worked, they were pulled back to memories of patching each other up after rough training sessions. Adora hoped these ones wouldn’t scar, given how shallow they were and how She-Ra had given her enhanced healing properties. Those would be hard to explain, given how easy they were to recognize. She had just finished her left leg when she heard a quiet gasp from Catra. She felt fingers touch the top of the scars below her shoulders, tracing them down to above her waist where they ended.

“I thought She-Ra didn’t get scars,” Catra said quietly.

“I didn’t think so either, but they didn’t leave when I transformed back,” Adora said, just as quietly.

 _I did this_ Catra thought, tracing the scars back up to Adora’s shoulders. Evidence that She-Ra wasn’t an infallible legend and could bleed and scar like her and everyone else; proof of Catra’s power and skill over Adora should have filler her with pride. Instead, all she tasted was bitter regret. She never wanted it to be like this, but neither of them had much of a choice in what they could do now.

They both were silent while they worked, Adora finishing the bandages on her legs and Catra bandaging her ribs above her stomach. When they finished Adora stood, testing the bindings by flexing slightly and stretching to make sure nothing was too tight. When she looked up, Catra was staring at her with a strange expression on her face.

When Adora caught her eyes, Catra looked away flushing and muttering about making sure she wasn’t bleeding. They both stood there as Adora put her shirt and jacket back on, the silence turning awkward as neither woman knew what to say.

“Are we still enemies?” Adora eventually asked.

Sighing, Catra said “You know we are. Even if we didn’t have to be, there’s still a lot between us, and a lot we, I, have done.”

Adora was saddened by that. She didn’t want to fight her best friend, the woman she loved.

“Well, we don’t have to be just enemies,” Adora said after a moment. “We can fight each other here and on the battlefield, but that doesn’t mean we have to hate each other. I don’t know what we could be, but I don’t want to be ‘just enemies’.”

Catra was quiet again. “Yeah,” she finally said. “Maybe not ‘just enemies’.”

“So uh. See you in three days?” Adora asked, giving Catra a small smile.

Catra looked at her in surprise, like she thought Adora would never want to see her again after all she had done today.

Slowly, a small smile crept onto Catra’s face as well.

“Yeah. See you in three days.”

* * *

Adora crept silently through the halls. She had to fake being fine in front of the guards so they wouldn’t call the healers or Angella on her, but now she was just tired and wanted to sleep. As she opened the door to her room, she found someone was already in it. Sitting in a chair waiting for her was Queen Angella.

“Hello Adora. Please, sit. I would like to talk to you for a moment before you go to bed,” she said.

Moving carefully to not disturb her bandages, Adora sat on her bed. Angella frowned at her.

“Are you alright? It looks like you’ve been hurt.”

“Yeah no I’m. I’m fine. Just a little training accident. I patched myself up though so it’s all good,” Adora said quickly.

Instead of telling her to go to the healer as she expected, Angella nodded and carried on.

“I would like to ask you about Hordak’s second in command, Commander Catra. If I recall you two knew each other in the Horde. May I ask what your relationship with her was?” Angella said.

Adora stopped to think. What could she tell Angella? She hadn’t even gone into detail about their relationship and past to Glimmer and Bow, much less Angella.

“Well, we were friends since childhood, and did everything together. Our commanding officer Shadow Weaver was always treating me like a trophy child while she treated Catra like she was worthless, which is why she stayed with the Horde. She wanted to get the power and recognition she deserved when here she would be treated as just another Horde soldier.”

Angella nodded again before asking more questions about them. What did Shadow Weaver do to Catra? What did she say? Was Catra more skilled than Adora? If so in what regards? Was she the best the Horde had? Did both of them view Shadow Weaver as a mother?

After answering what felt like dozens of questions Angella paused and then asked her something she was not expecting.

“Are you in love with her?” Angella asked softly.

Adora froze, completely caught off guard. But her silence gave her away as Angella looked at her sadly.

“Yes I am,” Adora said, voice thick with emotion. “And I’m sorry that I do and I’m not going to betray the Rebellion. I loved her for years and I never thought we would be enemies and then I left her and she’s right to be angry at me because I abandoned her and I want her to stop but I can’t kill her like everyone’s asking me to.” The words were spilling out of her now, hot tears running down her face as she filled with shame. She would have continued but Angella wrapped her in a hug, holding her as she cried.

“It’s okay Adora. I know what it’s like to lose someone you love to the Horde. Except unlike me, you have to fight the person you love, and watch as they do terrible things to the people you are trying to protect. Do not be ashamed of who you love.”

Letting go of her to wipe her tears, Angella continued.

“Now tell me. Do you believe that there is still goodness inside of Catra? That one day she will stop working for the Horde and maybe join the Rebellion?”

Adora was silent again. She knew there was goodness inside Catra, she had seen that today, but she didn’t know if she would ever leave the Horde, much less join the Rebellion.

“She has good in her, but she doesn’t know it. I don’t think Catra knows how to leave, even if she wants to. The Horde is the only place that has accepted her and given her the recognition she deserves. She wouldn’t leave that behind to stand in my shadow again and be surrounded by people who hate her,” Adora said.

“Then you must give her the recognition she deserves. When she is ready, tell her that as Hordak’s second in command, her defection will be accepted by the Rebellion as she is an agent well versed in Horde tactics, Hordak’s personal thoughts, and is a warrior capable of matching the legendary She-Ra in battle.”

Standing, Angella made to leave, turning before walking through the door.

“Oh and Adora?” she said. Adora turned to look at her.

“Please make sure you tell Bow and Glimmer about your nighttime meetings with Catra. It would be better if they found out from you than anyone else.”

Embarrassed that Angella had found out, Adora apologized and thanked Angella profusely for her kindness and patience. After she left, Adora collapsed onto the bed, exhausted both physically and emotionally. Was that what a mom was like? It was… nice. She hoped the other training sessions with wouldn’t turn out like this one. Except for the part where Catra was running her fingers down her back. That would be nice to do again. Thinking of what having a mom would be like and of Catra touching her again, Adora slowly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double Update! No clue how I wrote this when I did, on New Years Eve, but here it is. Kudos, comments, and bookmarks give me the strength to write. Happy New Year's!


	5. Sun, Sand, and Mistakes

Adora was in a bright mood this morning. She had been escorting a caravan through the night and had been surrounded by people as she slept, allowing her the most peaceful sleep she had since Glimmer and Bow left for their mission. It had been a month since they had left, and other than the occasional visit from another princess to discuss politics or war plans, Catra was the only friend she could spend time with. If she could even be counted as a friend anymore and she ignored being blackmailed into being there. Even though they were still enemies who fought on opposing sides of the war, she felt like something between them had changed. 

Thinking back to their last meeting, she thought of the questions Catra had left her with until their next session.

Two nights ago, she and Catra had just finished one of their sparring sessions and were doing stretches when Adora froze. Shooting a questioning glance at Adora, Catra asked “Are you ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Fearful of the answer she might get, Adora asked “Does Hordak know about… you know,” she said, gesturing around them. “And does he know how I, uh. Feel. About you?” Catra looked pensive for a moment as she considered her options. If she lied and said he did, how would that change things. Adora certainly wouldn’t be comfortable knowing her feelings were known by her worst enemy, but that would be a small price to pay for the leverage it could give her. But then again, this was Adora, who would definitely come up with a disastrous plan using this information and could cause a lot of trouble for her in the long run.

Opting to tell the truth, Catra says “No. He doesn’t know we’re meeting up, and thinks I’m scouting out Bright Moon’s army and watching you do She-Ra training.” Smirking she said “Also no. He doesn’t know how you _feel_ about me, and I don’t plan on telling him.”

Confused, Adora pressed for answers. “Well why not? Clearly you could get more power and have a greater tactical advantage if you could use the Horde’s resources, even if you don’t plan on telling the Rebellion.”

Catra replied with her usual devil may care attitude and said, “Well it’s certainly not because I like you.” Adora stopped again, her face scrunching up in concentration.

Speaking more to herself than Catra, Adora said “You said that before, didn’t you? When I told you how I felt, right? And then, you said something else. What was it?” As she concentrated on recalling what had been said, she missed Catra’s obvious panic. _Oh crap._ Of all the things she had to say, why did it have to be the one thing that would make Adora remember the conversation they both confessed in. Thinking quickly, Catra knew she had to break Adora’s train of thought before she went too far and started knowing things better left unknown. 

“Hey so the Horde is hitting this Rebellion encampment in two days, and I want you to be there.” As Adora stood there blinking in confusion at the sudden change in topic, Catra continued. “It’s a small desert fort defending a village, and I want to get practice on sandy terrain. I’ll bring enough forces to make it look real but not enough to win, so you don’t have to worry about losing ground or any civilian lives.” Adora seemed like she would continue trying to remember, but then she composed herself and began memorizing information on the village and their sparring spot as Catra listed it. After briefing her on the plan, Catra decided enough was done here and she needed to start planning.

“Alright. I’ll see you then I guess,” Adora said. They both left, thinking about the upcoming meeting and the preparations that would need to be done. Catra was calculating troop numbers and which tanks would be expendable for this mission, while Adora was plotting how to introduce the idea of a mission to the town without giving away that she had an outside source. But even as she plotted, her mind kept wandering back to Catra’s comment, the questions she had avoided, and what had been said during their conversation all those weeks ago.

That was then, and now Adora was unloading supplies as She-Ra when the invasion alarm went off. Running without a look back she moved through the camp, taking down Horde soldiers when she encountered them, looking for Catra. Spotting her moving to their meeting place, Adora made a cursory check to see if Catra had left anything behind before moving on. The last time she had refused to fight Catra she had burned all of the town’s food and supplies, leaving them no choice but to abandon it even though they had won the battle. Even though that had saddened and angered her, that her old best friend would continue to do things like that, she still held hope in her heart that Catra would stop herself someday.

Moving swiftly to their meeting place, she found Catra already there and waiting.

“Hey Adora.” Catra said in greeting, giving a small wave.

“Catra,” Adora replied, without anger.

Without further words, they began. Like all times they fought in the open, they fought for real. If Adora lost, it would mean a loss for the Rebellion and losing ground to the Horde. If Catra lost, she would have to report another failure to Hordak. Even though Adora knew Catra was throwing the battle around them, she was determined to give their fight her all. As they fought they moved through the sand, both of them struggled to keep their balance. Reverting to practiced moves, Catra tried to lunge at Adora but fell flat as she hadn’t pushed off the ground correctly to go high enough.

Struggling to suppress her laughter as Catra lay face down in the sand as she walked forward, Adora was caught off guard when Catra hooked an arm behind her knee and rammed her shoulder into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and unbalancing her. Stepping back to correct herself, Adora realized her mistake. Two sessions ago, Catra had done the same move, knocking her over and then forcing a surrender with claws at her throat. Improvising on the spot, Adora transformed back as Catra leaped over her, missing by nearly two feet as she aimed for the She-Ra’s throat. Ducking under Catra as she overshot, Adora turned and lifted her sword up to block. But no attack came. Peering over her sword, Catra crouched there looking uncertain.

“What are you doing?” Adora asked.

“What are _you_ doing?” Catra replied. “I thought you were going to be She-Ra for this fight.”

“Well I’m improvising. Now come on, are we going to finish this fight or what,” Adora said. Catra seemed strangely reluctant all of a sudden. She was perfectly fine going for her throat a second ago, but now that she wasn’t She-Ra it was almost like Catra was trying not to hurt her. Curious, Adora asked her that.

“I’m fine fighting you without being She-Ra. It’s almost like you’re the one that doesn’t want to fight me anymore. Do you?,” Adora asked.

“What? Of course I do! Shut up! I’m just catching my breath is all,” said Catra, very clearly not out of breath. “Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to you if you’re not She-Ra. I can beat you six times out of ten when you don’t transform, and this is supposed to be practice for us, not me kicking you around again.” 

While true, Adora continued undeterred. “Uh huh. And since when have you cared about playing fair?” Adora teased, now very curious as of why Catra had stopped fighting. She put two and two together and took a guess. “Is it just because I’m not She-Ra? Are you holding back because you don’t want to hurt me?”

“I already told you, I can beat you easily when you’re not transformed into She-Ra. And besides, it’s not like you haven’t held back during our fights either,” Catra responded, crossing her arms and looking away. The deflection was what pushed Adora to do say something she normally would never have said, fearing it could damage what they had just begun to get back.

“I hold back because I love you, and I would never hurt you unless you were putting people’s lives in danger. Even then, I can’t give it my all,” Adora said tentatively, something light and fluttery in her chest.

Catra was silent now. She stood there, still refusing to look Adora in the eyes. They had moved far enough from the battle to not be seen by their side’s soldiers and were able to share this moment of vulnerability. Catra opened her mouth and was about to say something when she was cut off by a deep rumble, followed by a horn blowing. It was the Rebellion’s signal to retreat.

Shocked, Adora looked at the village where she could already hear people screaming as they fled the onslaught of soldiers, and then at Catra, who seemed surprised. With hurt evident on her face, Adora drew her sword and started running to the village. As she was running to reach the Rebellion soldiers and civilians, she became lost in her thoughts. She shouldn’t have trusted Catra to keep her word, to not do whatever it took to win a fight, to lie to her. She lifted the sword to transform but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw Catra there, looking down.

Speaking quietly Catra said, “I didn’t think we would win, or that we would even reach the village. I wasn’t lying when I said I was going to let you win this one. I don’t know why this happened but... I didn’t mean for this. I’m sorry.”

Adora stood there for a moment, then placed her hand on Catra’s. “I believe you,” she said. And she did. Catra rarely apologized and only when she hadn’t meant to hurt someone, especially if it was Adora who she had hurt. Letting go of Catra’s hand, she gave one last look at her before transforming and running into the village. By the time she finished getting as many people out as she could, Catra was long gone.

* * *

Catra walked through the Fright Zone, wanting nothing more than to curl up and go to sleep. She thought she had planned it all out perfectly, with just not enough soldiers to be noticeable, and by requisitioning tanks that needed repairs to lose the fight, but she had messed it up again. A pang of sadness passed through her as she remembered the screams of the villagers and the look of betrayal on Adora’s face. She had enjoyed seeing Adora suffer in the past but Catra was different then, angrier and still reeling from losing her best and only friend, and for being left defenseless before Shadow Weaver the Horde. Now Shadow Weaver was gone, no one short of Hordak himself had power over her, and she could see Adora regularly again. While it still hurt sometimes to see her, it didn’t make her want to take it out Adora or hurt her through the people she cared about again. Not like how she did today. 

She wasn’t even going to think about how close she came to ruining everything she had been working for. What was she thinking? Was she really going to tell Adora the reason she couldn’t stand to see her hurt, especially when it had been her that dealt the wound? If she had then, what would have happened next? Catra didn’t know, and was terrified of finding out what would happen. She had everything to lose.

Climbing the stairs to Hordak’s throne, she knelt and gave her report. After she finished, Hordak’s face became less severe; his version of a smile.

“Congratulations are in order, Commander Catra. You were able to successfully bring victory with minimal troop numbers and low resource usage. Such efficient usage of resources is a commendation of your tactical skill,” he said.

The satisfaction she normally got from his recognition of her skill was cold and tainted and left her feeling ill. “Thank you Lord Hordak,” Catra said. Swallowing her pride she continued. “I live to serve.”

Hordak sat unmoving. “Dismissed Commander.”

As the door shut behind her, his face returned to its severe coldness. Had he not noticed her requisitioning tanks in disrepair, or personally added to the notably low numbers of soldiers she was utilizing in her invasion they may have actually lost that fight. It was clear to him this was an intentional move to lose the fight, but he was interested in why she would commit such unconventional treason over such a meaningless village and was determined to find out before any executions needed to be done.

His spy Imp came when he gestured for him. “Now my spy, follow Commander Catra on her next scouting mission. Ensure she has not become compromised by the Rebellion and then report your findings back to me.” Flapping his wings, Imp flew off in pursuit of Catra. As Hordak reclined in his chair, he began the process of selecting a new second in command. His current one needed to become expendable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written before the other two but I have no idea why it took so long to get out. I guess I was flipping out over college starting up again? Or not knowing what to start with? Idk. I'm going to try to get these out weekly, maybe one every two weeks. Just check on Mondays.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that was something. If you made it this far, I have to thank you for reading this, and to please leave feedback because I want to improve my writing. Kudos, comments, and bookmarks fuel me.


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